WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed Gov. Abbott’s request for the federal government to reimburse the State of Texas for its efforts to secure the southern border, which is a federal responsibility, and previewed the Texas delegation’s plan to help pay back Texas taxpayers. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“President Biden, and Vice President Harris, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas intentionally and willfully refused to enforce the laws on the books to keep the border secure and to keep our nation safe.”

“We had no choice but to pick up the slack to try to secure some semblance of basic safety for Texans and the rest of the country. Everything the State of Texas did to fill the gap inured not just to the benefit of the 31 million people who live in Texas, but to the entire nation.”

“As a result of Operation Lone Star, without any help at all from the federal government, Texas was able to reduce illegal immigration into the state by 87 percent.”

“While every state became a border state during the last administration, there are costs that Texas had to shoulder that our neighbors have not.”

“It’s just fair and right and just for Texas taxpayers to be made whole for the border security responsibilities it took on as a result of President Biden’s dereliction of duty.”

“My colleagues on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees should expect me and Senator Cruz and the entire Texas delegation to be strongly advocating for reimbursement for Texas in the coming weeks, and I look forward to working with them in order to make this a reality.”